the british wheel of yoga
London
The British Wheel of Yoga (BWY) was founded in 1965 by Wilfred Clark (1898 –
1981), who had been practising yoga during his service in the army in the First
World War. In his civilian life, Wilfred became a journalist editing a newspaper
in Sutton Coldfield. He began teaching yoga and it was this work that culminated
in the founding of the Wheel. The organisation began life as The Wheel of
British Yoga but this was changed in 1969 to The Western Yoga Federation, which
was registered as a charity in 1973. The name was changed to The British Wheel
of Yoga in 1974. During his latter years, Wilfred devoted himself to spreading
the yoga message, travelling the country to present at meetings and seminars.
Wilfred died in 1981 having attended many BWY Congresses. A bursary has been set
up in his honour to be awarded to BWY teachers developing the teaching to
support students with special needs. For more information on the bursary, click
here. The first National Congress took place in Birmingham in 1967, expanding to
a national two-day residential event in Walsall in 1976. The Annual Congress, or
BWY Sangha as it is now called, continues today, providing the opportunity for
members to meet, exchange ideas and develop their practice.
